cardfightfandomcom-20200223-history
Card Lores:Silver Thorn Dragon Tamer, Luquier (Stride Bonus)
Rummy Labyrinth Under the Moonlight She is one of the few users of the pristine "Dragon Tame" in this planet now---and she is one of the primordial "Dragon Tamers". She is well-known as the "Millenium Elf", for the legend that her appearance hasn't changed for thousands of years. Another legend tells that she is closely related to the establishment of "Pale Moon", and taught the young beast tamers the techniques of "Beast Tame" and "Dragon Tame". Now, her traces of existence could be found neither on the public stage nor in the hidden tides of history. She is living in seclusion, in a place she created on her own. Her hermitage is hidden by "Ancient Magic" which can deceive even high level detection magic of the Sanctuary. In addition, including her direct subordinates, the "Silver Thorns Servants", all "Pale Moon" members except a few do not know where she resides now. However, while Luquier has chosen to live in partial seclusion, fate has brought a young man in front of her. What is she going to tell the young man who decided to transform into a dragon for vengeance? Monthly Bushiroad Short Novel (April 2017 Issue) The Resumption of Vendetta Rrr, rrr. "That's troubling~" Carriages of archaic style are moving on the roads of United Sanctuary. There were thirty... or more. Even trade caravans heading the capital would not reach this size. They, who were they? "Why must I do this..." They were entertainers whose performance was praised as "unparalleled in Cray" by even the rich magnate of the capital. And, they were also agents who were feared as "the most unwanted enemy" by even the top brass of the underworld. Yes, on the carriages were members of "Pale Moon", the top circus of the world. "And, to say, shouldn't an underling be the coachman..." They stick to traditions, and are unwilling to use the up-to-date scientific technologies. That is why they travel by carriages. They are not allowed to use teleportation devices and magic-driven vehicles, for they are products of combined magic and science. But, as a matter of fact, not every member of the circus understands this archaic rule. "Troubling it is, this nasty luggage." The elven boy, "Harri", holding the reins while complaining, is a member of the younger generation who could not understand the archaic rules. Despite his looks, he is in fact in his thirties, so calling him a boy may not be that suitable, but his appearance is exactly that of a ten-year-old boy. By the way, even though elves are known for their longevity, most of them grow up at the same speed as humans until they reach their twenties. Harri, keeping his childish look, is an exception. "Stop complaining, look at the front!" Unable to bear Harri's relentless complaints, the coachwoman next to Harri tried to stop him. That was a blonde girl, looking older than Harri. "Hey, Lappin... I've told you many times, I'm older than you, so use honorifics!" In fact, Harri is older than Lappin. Harri grinded his teeth with a look like he was going to bite someone, but Lappin sighed without showing the slightest sign of fear. "Though senpai insists that I should use honorifics, you look like a brat!" Lappin deliberately showed an exaggerated face of surprise. Harri is a temperamental person, and he was easily enraged by the fact that Lappin viewed him as a kid. "You! Who are you calling a brat!?" Though Harri shouted in a loud voice, Lappin didn't step back, and sneered with a finger pointing at Harri, "Senpai, that is." She added fuel to the fire. "You're getting on my nerves---!" Lappin smirked as she saw her senpai get enraged. Although they were broiling, they didn't make even one mistake when controlling the horses. "Oh, look, we're reaching the border." They had reached the border before they noticed. "Humph, you're good at changing topics." "Fine, fine, it'd be a grave mistake if we don't see this attraction with our hearts!" This is the entrance of the massive bridge connecting the Kingdom of United Sanctuary and Dark Zone. "This is the Ancient Bridge, one of the Three Greatest Attractions of Dark Zone. Hahaha!" "I know, what are the other two?" Lappin was pointing at the bridge in a proud face, but Harri's sudden question shook her. "Eh~ I heard this bridge~ was built by the bones of an Ancient Dragon~" (She isn't even thinking.) The Ancient Bridge stretched for kilometres in a bizarre shape. According to the legends, the bridge was built using the staunch bones of an Ancient Dragon, a massive species of dragons that are now extinct. On the left and the right of the bridge were numberless ribs as sharp as fangs, giving a sense of ominousness, and few would like to walk on this bridge. However, it is the existence of this bridge that allows the smooth communication between United Sanctuary and Dark Zone. The two nations have no connected territory, and there are only two alternatives of ways to travel: crossing the seas by ships, or crossing the territory of the Empire, which would require a great amount of resolution. "This is important~ for connecting the two nations~" "Sounds awesome. So what are the two other Great Attractions?" "Eh~ Eh~ The next attraction is~..." "What is it?" Harri kept on, in a smile of mischief. And while Lappin tried to win some time by changing topics, the sound of a horn disrupted the talk, which made her look joyous. The sound was a signal of rest. Including the carriages of Harri and Lappin, all carriages of the circus stopped at the bridge. "Ah, it seems it's the time to rest. It'd be bad if I don't go quickly, see you!" Then, Lappin ran away. "...She escaped." Lappin's horse looked at Harri like it felt pity. Harri stopped complaining, and murmured. "But, why is there a space in the middle of the bridge?" There is a wide open space in the middle of the bridge for some unknown reason. The space is surrounded by thick walls of bones instead of sharp ribs. (But that helps us a lot.) Even kids know that Dark Zone is a lawless place, and there is no security. But, even criminals of the Dark Zone would not stay near to the bridge. Because if they cause trouble, they will be pursued by the Sanctuary's security troops. "Oh, but to me, some lawless thugs mean nothing." That is the last place to rest before entering Dark Zone. That is the space called "Le Estomac", in the middle of the bridge. "Fine, then I---" "...Gugh...gugh!" As Harri was going to land off and take a rest, he heard some noise. The long ears of elves are more than decorations, for the elves hear better than humans. And it is this noise that makes Harri angry throughout the journey. "Tch... enough. You are just luggage, so stop making noises!" Harri was so angry that he kicked the carriage. He, as one of the mightiest members of the circus, was assigned as a coachman because of the "luggage". "...Gugh!...Gugh!" The sound grew louder that even common humans could hear. Perhaps, because the "luggage" noticed someone was nearby from the kick. "I said, no more trouble!!" "...Gugh!?" Harri reached into the carriage from the curtain and used magic that caused the "luggage" to make a small scream. That was a paralyzing magic that would knock out the target for a short period of time. Harri did not use powerful lightning magic so as not to kill the defenseless target. But, "Wugh..! Gugh..! Oaa...!" That was even more annoying. The "luggage" seemed to be irritated and made noisier sounds. But, Harri was also enraged as well. "...An untamed beast needs some punishment, doesn't it?" Harri concentrated his mana, for an obvious "attack". When he had concentrated enough, Harri raised his hand. "Die!" The overflowing mana and malicious word tore down the clouds and reached the sky. Several seconds later, the carriage was struck directly by a thunderbolt. "How's that?! You wretched luggage!" The carriage contained a magical barrier that immobilizes the "luggage" inside. Although the magical barrier is powerful enough to neutralize all kinds of magic and special abilities, it is effective to its "inside", not its "outside". "Oops, that's too much..." Harri raised his head with a stunned face, and looked at the burning carriage. "Senpai, what're you doing!?" Lappin was running in a hurry. When she saw the thunderbolt, she immediately knew that was Harri's doing. "Nothing, just because the luggage is too annoying." "What're you saying!? Put out that fire quickly!" Lappin took out a card, with the picture of a goddess carrying a vase. After a short incantation, the card releases a great amount of water on the burning carriage. "Good, now that should be fine." At that time, the members of the circus finally reached the site. Perhaps they were too insensitive to danger, as they looked relaxed. "Oh, a fire, is it?" "Ah, the carriage is on fire." "Leave me be~ Even if that's just a carriage, that's too much~" "...Very good, the carriage is fine. Senpai, you should reflect upon your mistake---" Lappin noticed, that Harri was the only one in a serious face. After looking at the silent Harri in cold sweat, she finally learnt of Harri's worries. "Senpai, don't tell me..." "Sorry, that's it." The black smoke was dissipating, and they saw the carriage burned black. Then, "...Hah!" Something broke the top of the carriage and flew out. That looked like a winged man, flying to Dark Zone at surprising speed. Harri stared at that shade, and shouted in a bad mood. "I'm pursuing that guy! Lappin, deal with the trouble for me!" "Eh, pursuing..." "This is my fault! I'll return immediately! Speak to the ringmaster... I have some private issue!" "That's absurd..." "Go, Pop!" The white bird flying around Harri became a dragon. "Wait! Senpai---!?" (I cannot keep Pop's seal released for a long time even now. I must catch him quickly!) The dragon of which Harri was riding on made a lovely sound, and flew towards Dark Zone. "Wait! You wretched luggage!" -------"I thought I'd die..." The "luggage" of the carriage---"Luard" made a big sigh. "Living is good..." Illegal immigration, destruction of cultural heritage, obstruction of the knightly orders' actions, and usage of "Stride" in the aforementioned offenses... Luard is now a criminal branded as a grave sinner in the Sanctuary. Until the carriage was burnt, he had been relocated to the research facilities administered by "Gear Chronicle". After removal of his ability to "Stride", he would be put into a prison with powerful seals and pass times of imprisonment for an unknown length... this was what he heard from the judgement. However, relocating him, a dangerous person, was of high rise, so the Sanctuary requested "Pale Moon" to relocate him, for the kingdom had a friendly relationship with the circus, both on the table and under the table. ("Operation Make-the-coachman-break-the-carriage" was a success. That's out of luck, but the coachman being a brat really helps.) The result was clear. They had chosen the wrong person. Harri was said to be one of the most powerful beings of "Pale Moon". For sure, considering the case which Luard broke the magical barriers and resisted, Harri would be the only person suitable to suppress Luard's resistance. But that was just about the matter of abilities. Talking about personalities, Harri was a bad choice. (Even though the bondage can neutralize magic, when facing a natural phenomenon... a fire not directly caused by magic, it is useless. If magic itself is not working, the indirectly-caused fire can give me a chance of escape.) Luard paid the price for the absurd operation. Harri's power surpassed his expectations, and directly penetrated the sealing magic enchanted on the bondage. Luard's whole body was scorched, and pain struck his nerves. His blonde hair of pride was damaged by fire, and became curly. At the moment when the seal was broken, he used Stride Fusion to activate "Dragshift". It's perfect if simply looking at the result, but that's indeed life-staking. He trembled when thinking what would have happened if Harri's magic was of higher power. Other than that, as the bondage was burnt, Luard was naked at the moment. Although he used Dragshift to cover his body with a thin layer of scales to reduce the damage of wind. (...Should find something to wear immediately.) His mind received more damage than his body. "Anyway, I'm now free---" A thunderbolt caught the fleeing Luard and aimed at his back. "---Oh!" "Tch, a miss." Luard evaded the thunderbolt and turned back, and found Harri staring at him in anger. "You're the coac..." "Stop running! Luggage!" That was the last time Luard had a chance to turn back, for thunderbolts were unleashed at him one after another, with power stronger than what destroyed the carriage. (No kidding... If I'm struck by that magic in this form, I'll have no chance to maintain Dragshift... I may die this time.) "How dare a luggage fly!" "Luggage, luggage... what're you treating a man!?" "Annoying! Villains have no human rights! If you don't like being called a luggage, I'll call you a freak! So stop, you freak!" "That brat..." Luard wanted to refute, but he could not. For sure, "a suspicious man flying in the sky, naked" should be called a freak. Driven into a corner, mentally, Luard's flying speed dropped. "Good, hide-and-seek should end now. You said brat, didn't you? I shall kill you." (What can I do? Like this, I'll eventually...) Luard slowed down, and a thunderbolt scratched him. Harri was confident he would be the victor, and raised his wand by filling it with every bit of mana. The cloudless sunny sky became cloudy, like a tempest was coming. "I'll end you with this!" Magic that requires large amount of mana will have flaws from activation to release. These flaws are undetectable in the eyes of common mages, but Luard was far from "common". He took the time to think about the best solution. (! Now!) At the moment before the magic was unleashed, he stopped in front of Harri. "Wagh, wait! S, stop---" Harri could not fly himself, and when he moves in the sky, he needs to give orders to his dragon. At this distance, his order of "stop" did not work. "Wwwaaarrggh!" "Gruung...!" (The impact is more than expected!) The dragon's head hit Luard. The sound like an iron hammer crushing a wall resounded in the sky which returned to being sunny. Although Luard was enhanced by Dragshift, he could not remain uninjured after being hit by something several times heavier than him. (But, the chance of living is the highest!) He heard a scream of "Heeeee", but the sound seemed like it was moving away from him. Luard finally noticed, "Oh, I'm being knocked out." -------(I've met something like this before.) Luard woke up with that deja vu. When he opened his eyes, he saw a gentle glow of Element Lantern which he had seen before. After his sight recovered from blurriness, he finally noticed that someone was looking at his face. "Have you woken up?" That was a lady of blue eyes, whom he had never met before. "...No impression." "Eh?" "No, nothing." "Hoo, a strange boy, you are. " (This feeling... where have I felt that?) Luard's face stiffened in anxiety, in a sharp contrast with the lady's gentle smile. From this lady with a look of kindheartedness, he sensed a mysterious feeling. He had sensed that once before. (Same as that mage, Ildona...) "Who are---" "First," Luard shouted, but he was stopped by the lady's finger on his lips. "Have your meal in the hall. I've prepared a medicine meal for you. You haven't eaten well for several days, have you?" After saying that, the lady left the room swiftly. Luard, looking at the leaving sight of her back, (That hair is really beautiful...) "Oh, right," The lady turned back suddenly, and Luard turned his sight away from her. "Go down the stairs after you leave this room. The closest room downstairs is the hall." The lady closed the door after saying. Luard heard her footsteps going down. "...Not only are my injuries gone, but my clothes are back?" No one answered his simple question. "Y, you!" There was someone in the hall. A boy was eating the abundance of food on the table, without showing a bit of courtesy. "The escort officer brat!" "Jerk! You called me a brat again!" Harri shouted at Luard, with his mouth full with food. They drew distance, and started chanting spells... "Right. Stop that now." The lady clapped her hands once, and stood in between the two. She did not walk in. She simply appeared. "Harri. Calm down a bit, please." "Gugh... but, Lady Luquier, this guy is--" "Can you?" The lady called "Luquier" looked at Harri in full smile. "I, I understand..." And Harri yielded and obeyed. That Harri, who never gives ears to others, sat like a good boy without saying anything back. "You too. Right, sit down." "Wait, this guy is," "Please, sit down. Can you?" The lady showed the same smile to Luard. But Luard did not miss the mana in her squinting eye. (The glow in that eye...) Luard's instincts sensed a danger. This was not a lady he could fight against easily. "...Got it." "Hmm. Good boys, both of you." -------"One more, please." Anyway, Luard hasn't eaten a proper meal for several days. The medicine meal itself was not enough, and he took other food as well. He ate like a beast. "Jerk! That meat is mine!" "Who cares? You've just taken my bun, haven't you?" "There're a lot of buns, but meat is limited!" "That's exactly why I should take it." "Ah---!?" Though they knew taking each other's meal would be stopped, they still did that. And they would start a fight whenever either one of them did that. "Jerk, enough---" And whenever they were about to fight, "Quarrelling is no good, you know?" ""..."" They would be stopped by the mistress of the hall, and returned to their own dishes silently. This had repeated for several times. -------Tens of minutes later. The food, enough for ten people, had only less one tenth left. Luard's physique made it difficult for others to expect his big appetite, but all Dragwizards eat a lot, and that's not shocking for Luard to eat so much. Rumours tell that Dragshift consumes not only mana but also calories, but the details have not been made clear yet. Harri ate a lot, but as his capacity to eat was inferior to Luard, he was soothing his inflated belly and moaned in pain. "Thanks for the meal... that's delicious." "They say it's delicious. Good, Lucamia." Luquier turned around and said the words. Luard watched what she was looking, and there was a female warbeast. She should be the "Lucamia" mentioned by Luquier, and she was peeping at the hall with half her face behind the wall. "All of today's meal is done by this girl." "Why are she looking here somehow, cautiously..." "Hehehe... she's shy. Please don't mind." "But, so the line of sight I have been feeling is hers... what!?" There was not only Lucamia. As Luard paid more attention, he sensed there were numberless lines of sights in the house. Luard focused and looked around, and found they were all girls like Lucamia, and all of them were looking at him. Interest, hostility, speculation, their eyes were filled with different kinds of emotions. Luard immediately noticed they, like Lucamia, were subordinates of Luquier. (How could I... not sense that until then!?) Luard was shocked and could not but jump up. Terrified, the girls hid their faces. "Irina." However, when Luquier called a girl's name, the girl hid no more, and showed up timidly. "I should have just summoned Ionela and you. Why are all of you here?" "No, no, no, I've stopped them. But they said they must come..." "Irina" and Luquier gave a strange feeling of distance, perhaps because Irina was afraid of being scolded, perhaps because of something more. As Irina's voice dropped low and Luquier continued scolding, another girl stood in front of Irina. Luquier bent standing like she didn't want to frighten the girl, and asked while looking at the girl's eyes. "Ionela, I'm talking about something important with Irina, so wait for a while---" "Mistress Luquier, it's not like that! Because I heard there was a man I don't know who came to Luquier's house, I said I had to come! It's not Irina's fault!" "Ionela" cried in her lovely bell-like voice. Her squirrel tail was shaking. As if touched by her, the hiding Lucamia came out and spoke for Ionela. "Mistress Luquier. It is I who told there was a guest here. So Ionela..." "Wait, that's because I---" "In fact I---" (Eh... it seems that I'm the only bad person...) After Ionela and Lucamia, the other girls stood up one after one. Except Ionela in a bitter face, the girls stood up to speak for others. "Fine, enough." Luquier clapped her hands for once. That signal made everyone silent. "I am not angry." The girls were ready to be scolded, but Luquier's gentle words made them calm down. Luquier patted Ionela's head, and continued, "So, everyone of you, go back. The disappearances of many of you will make the other circus members worried." Though some of them showed reluctance, as Ionela disappeared, they disappeared one after one. They may look like timid girls, but they were performers of the magical circus "Pale Moon", so this was just a trivial trick to them. "Then... Irina." "Ah!" "Stay behind. Wait outside until I talk with him." "Urgh... ah... understood." Luquier's face was a smile, but Irina left the place with a face like she sensed fear or something else. (...Not making her angry seems to be the wise choice.) Though there were some accidental happenings, thanks to that, Luard learnt the maxim, "Don't make Luquier angry", before it was too late. -------Lucamia picked up Harri, who was lying on the ground due to fullness, and left the hall. There were only Luard and Luquier in the hall. Luquier maintained her smile, and said, "So, what to begin with?" Luard hesitated for a second, only a second, and answered quickly. "Who you are, and what you know. Make it short, answer the two questions first." "Let me introduce myself. My name is Luquier. Right... a run-of-the-mill elf, just living out the others a bit longer." "Run-of-the-mill... you say." "Hehehe... Right, then, about what I know. First, I shall tell you something you are studying, legends and histories about dragons." "Eh..." Hearing the words, Luard leaned his head forward. He tried to pretend being calm when speaking, but the glow in his eyes exposed his joy of acquiring new knowledge. "Right, let me tell you the story of the extinct Ancient Dragons." "You're saying Ancient Dragons, the Ancient Dragons filled with mysteries, the Ancient Dragons that left no records in the Sanctuary except its name...!" "But, I will tell you, later." (Affectations...) "Before that, I shall tell you the thing you wanted to know the MOST." She spoke in an unchanged tone. "I know who killed Dagda, the man you admired like an elder brother." In a blink of an eye, Luard's hands gripped Luquier's shoulders with strength comparable to vises'. His eyes turned into red-slitted ones, even though he did not activate Dragshift. "Who...?! Who killed Big-bro... who killed Big-bro Dagda...?!" Although Luquier's shoulders were gripped tightly by Luard, she did not show a face in pain. What's more, "I am telling you, so release your hands." "Gugh...!" Luquier gripped Luard's fist with little strength, it seemed, but a single touch made Luard's joints and his mouth produce sounds, the former for dislocation and the latter for pain. "Calm down, and I will tell you immediately. So, sit down." "Fine... say it, immediately!" Though Luard's forehead was soaked in cold sweats, his hands did not leave Luquier's shoulders. Luquier judged that nothing could enter Luard's ears except the information he wanted the most. She yielded, closed her eyes, and told Luard the name. "Shiranui. The killer of Dagda is a ninja dragon of 'Nubatama', the Espionage Corp of the Empire. He is the current head of the Shiranui clan." -------After Luard heard the name of his foe, he became bizarrely calm, and sat down again. He recorded the data of Ancient Dragons told by Luquier as usual. "Thanks for all you've done for me." He flew away immediately after saying thanks. "Doing this, is this good?" Luquier said in the place where no other person was there. "Thank you." A sentence was spoken behind her. Then, from Luquier's shadow, something like black fog flowed out, and formed into a humanoid shape. "I am secluded. I have no intention to intervene in the future of the world again." "I know." "That boy is driven by vengeance. In this way, only destruction awaits him." Luquier asked without turning her head. "Hmm, so let it be. Let us celebrate this reunion---" When she said "Is tea fine?", the aura of that being had disappeared. "You're the same as always." When Luquier raised her head and looked at the sky, the long-missing apprehension showed up on her face. -------"HHHHHHH... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Luard burst into an insane laughter, sounding like war cries. He flew straight, leaving torn clouds behind. Joy and anger mixed within him, and twisted his mind. "I SWEAR TO FIND YOU OUT, AND OFFER YOUR HEAD TO BIG-BRO'S GRAVE!" He lost control of his emotions, thus his mana overflowed like fiery showers, raining down on the sea. He flew towards the Empire, in a sound that one could not clearly define as laughter or a war cry. "SHIRANUI---!!" -------"Princess~ May I ask what is this place~?" "Call, me, captain! And that's what I want to ask!" "A fireball suddenly dropped from the sky, that scared me~ And it was a direct hit to the medical room~" "What's really scary is your head dropping to the ground, in front of my eyes..." "I'm in good condition, even with my head off from my neck~" "That's enough! Really, I just let down my guard in the medical room a bit, then I'm blown to this forest..." "Ah, Princess." "It's captain!" "There seems to be a cliff~" "SAY THAT BEFOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORE..." Category:Lores